Olatunde S. Olatunji

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs] in processed meat products using gas chromatography – Flame ionization detector

The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked, grilled and boiled meats were determined using gas chromatography - flame ionization detector (GC-FID). PAHs in the processed meats were extracted in n-hexane after hydrolysis with methanolic KOH. Clean-up was achieved using solid phase extraction in neutral-Si/basic-Si/acidic-Si/neutral-Si frits. The fractions, benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkP), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), indeno[123-cd]pyrene (IP) and benzo[ghi]perylene (BghiP) were separated and quantified using GC-FID. The method and instrument limits of detections were 0.1, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3μg/kg and 0.5, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5μg/kg, respectively, for BkP, BaP, IP and BghiP. The methods recovery and precision generally varied between 83.69% and 94.25% with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 3.18-15.60%; and 90.38-96.71% with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.82-12.87% respectively. The concentration of BkP, BaP, IP and BghiP in smoked, grilled and boiled meat samples were ranged 0.64-31.54μg/kg, 0.07-7.04μg/kg, 0.09-15.03, 0.51-46.67μg/kg and 0.01-5.11μg/kg, respectively.

Veterinary pharmaceuticals in aqueous systems and associated effects: an update

Environmental studies have shown that pharmaceuticals can contaminate aqueous matrices, such as groundwater, surface water, sediment as well as aquatic flora and fauna. Effluents from sewage and wastewater treatment plants, pharmaceutical industries and hospitals have been implicated in such contamination. Recent studies have however revealed significant concentrations of pharmaceuticals in wastewater from animal facilities in proximal aquatic habitats. Furthermore, epidemiological studies have shown a consistent positive correlation between exposure to some drugs of veterinary importance and increased adverse effects in aquatic biota largely due to induction of endocrine disruption, antibiotic resistance, neurotoxicity, genotoxicity and oxidative stress. The aquatic habitats and associated biota are important in the maintenance of global ecosystem and food chain. For this reason, anything that compromises the integrity and functions of the aquatic environment may lead to major upset in the world’s ecosystems. Therefore, knowledge about this route of exposure cannot be neglected and monitoring of their occurrence in the environment is required. This review focuses on scientific evidence that link the presence of pharmaceuticals in aqueous matrices to animal production facilities and presents means to reduce the occurrence of veterinary pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic habitats.

Benzo[a]pyrene and Benzo[k]fluoranthene in Some Processed Fish and Fish Products

In this study, the concentration levels of the probable carcinogenic PAH fractions, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and benzo[k]fluoranthrene (BkF) in fillets of some processed fish species were investigated. Fish species comprising Merluccius poli (hake), Tyrsites atun (snoek), Seriola lalandi (yellow-tail) and Brama brama (angel fish) were bought in fish shops at Gordon’s Bay, Western Cape, South Africa. The fish were gutted, filleted and prepared for edibility by frying, grilling and boiling. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were extracted from each homogenized fish sample, cleaned-up using solid phase extraction (SPE), and analysed for the PAH fractions, BaP and BkF using a Gas Chromatograph coupled with a Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). The sum of the two PAHs (∑2PAH) i.e., BaP and BkF ranged between 0.56 and 1.46 µg/kg, in all boiled, grilled and fried fish species. The fried fish extracts showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) abundance of ∑2PAH, than grilled and boiled fish. Dietary safety and PAHs toxicity was also discussed.

Risk assessment of wetland under aluminium and iron toxicities: A review

The chemical composition of aquatic habitat, environmental conditions and trend monitoring could reflect changes in species composition over time. Vegetation plays an important role in decontamination and waste treatment water inlet and received by wetlands. They provide carbon substrate for microbes which are important in processing wastewater contaminants. Metabolism in plants, however, requires micronutrients such as Aluminium (Al) and Iron (Fe). Al is toxic to many plants at concentrations greater than 2–3 pap at soil pH < 5.5. Al interferes with cell divisions in root tips and lateral roots, increases cell wall rigidity, maintains proper cellular redox state and various other biochemical, physiological and growth responses. Excess concentration of reducible Fe on acidic soils poses constraint primarily on wetland plants. The authors evaluate aspects of Al and Fe in anoxic biochemical processes, Al and Fe uptake, transport and distribution in wetland ecosystem. The review objective is to focus on wetland monitoring, as it was discovered that wetland ecosystems are at risk of degradation unless properly managed. A poor understanding of the value of wetlands will continue to encourage resource overuse and degradation, thus escalating threats to development through the environmental risk associated with remobilization of metal contaminants and the recycling to the food chain. Protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems and their services in the face of pressures from land-use change, urbanization, and global warming which affects climate change, rising sea level, coastal erosion and lowland flooding are important.